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November 22, 2008 3:39:08 AM CST

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Google Shows You the World, and Vice Versa

Posted Jun 1, 07 1:54 PM CDT in Business,  Technology 

(Newser) – A new Google Maps service that offers detailed views from the streets of major cities is provoking worries about privacy—and moving users to close their blinds. The Street View function gets so up close and personal, the Times reports, that one woman was able to zero in on her cat sitting in a window.

Google says it takes privacy seriously, but the service doesn't constitute an invasion. “This imagery is no different from what any person can readily capture or see walking down the street," the company says. And if it captures a man standing outside of an adult bookstore or bikini-clad sunbathers, well, that's what blogs are for.

Source New York Times

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New Street View function   ((c) Jacob B tter)
Google employees Adam Sah, left, and Nicholas Weininger inspect the company's maps program during Google Developer Day 2007 in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, May 31, 2007. The gathering is organized by...   (Associated Press)
Catereria area at Google headquarters, Tuesday, May 15, 2007. In its latest attempt to extend its power beyond its Internet-leading search, Google Inc. is introducing a new tool that will make its software...   (Associated Press)
Google workers walk by a Google sign at company headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., in this 2006 file photo. In its latest technological leap, Google will begin showing videos on its main results page...   (Associated Press)
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